The present invention relates to a control system of an image processor by which transmission and receiving can be conducted with an equipment placed in a store, office, hospital, etc., and with a control apparatus to conduct a maintenance control of the equipment.
Particularly, the present invention relates to a control system of a medical image processor to process a photosensitive medium such as a laser imager, automatic processor, or CR (Computed Radiography).
As an equipment of an image processor, there is also a photo printer to print a photograph from, for example, a negative film onto a printing paper, or a print making apparatus to obtain a print by development processing an exposed film, printing a photograph from the development-processed negative film onto the printing paper, and conducting development processing. However, the image processor referred herein is not limited to so-called a printing apparatus, but includes an image processor to process an image, and combine images, or a means for recording as processing, and an apparatus for recording such as a thermal recording to conduct various image recording, recording of such as inkjet, or recording of such as electrophotography.
In such an equipment, the serviceman conducts the periodic inspection, and when a abnormality occurs in the equipment, the user makes a contact with the serviceman by telephone, and according to the instruction of the serviceman, the user solves the abnormal status by himself.
Further, when the maintenance processing only by the telephone is difficult, the serviceman goes to the place at which the equipment is installed, and solves the abnormal status of the equipment.
In this connection, there is a case where correct processing against abnormality can not be conducted only through the telephone correspondence with the user, or because the serviceman can not obtain the correct information, even when the abnormal status can be solved without the serviceman going to the place, the situation that it is necessary to go to the place, often occurs.
Further, the processing and recording of the medical image in the hospital are important and the strictness is required, and for an image in the office, in color matching or the like, because there is a possibility that the user has the misunderstanding due to the color difference, or it influences on the product image, it is very important to check from the control apparatus whether the correct and adequate processing is conducted in each of image processors. Under the decreasing tendency of the number of the skilled persons, the control of each equipment by using the network is further important.
Further, in a medical image processor to image-wise exposure, or develop onto a photosensitive medium such as an X-ray film or stimulative fluorescent plate, even when the mechanical trouble occurs and operation failure occurs, because the photosensitive medium exists in the apparatus different from electrophotographic type copiers, the user can not simply cope with the trouble by opening the apparatus at once.
For example, when a mechanical trouble occurs in a conveyance path of the photosensitive medium, even though the mechanical trouble position can be generally grasped by a switching sensor provided in the conveyance path, it can not be known that what kind of mechanical trouble occurred, therefore, actually, the service man goes to the installation position, and conducts each kind of inspection by actually moving and opening the apparatus and confirms the content of the mechanical trouble, and copes with the trouble. According to the content of the mechanical trouble which can be confirmed, it is necessary to obtain replacement parts from another place or when the cause of the mechanical trouble can not finally be found, it is necessary that the service man goes back to talk the situation to his office for discussion. However, even when the situation is carried back for discussion, in the judgment in which the cause of the mechanical trouble is the aging deterioration of the parts, mixing-in of the foreign matters, or software trouble, although there is also a case where aging information is necessary, in such the maintenance method, only the information after the failure is obtained, and the problem like as it takes a lot of period of time for research of the cause, also occurs naturally.
Recently, a technology by which the operation log of the image processor is stored as the data in a memory of the apparatus, and service man confirms it at the time of maintenance operation, or the operation log is transmitted through a telecommunication circuit, and the operation condition of the apparatus is grasped at the remote place, is put to practical use. However, by only the operation log of the mechanism or operation log of the software, although it can be grasped that the operation is normal or abnormal, it is a practical situation that there is only a case in which the service man actually goes to the installation position and confirms what mechanical trouble occurs, and what countermeasure is necessary. Further, for the grasp of the peripheral trouble other than the fault portion, it is a practical situation that there is almost no other method but that the service man only goes to the apparatus installation position and searches the trouble.
Further, for example, when the information such as an image, sound, or character can be transmitted and received through the telephone circuit or Internet between the devices installed in a shop, hospital, or factory, particularly the image processing and image recording apparatus (devices) and a control apparatus to conduct the maintenance control of the devices, although the appropriate maintenance instruction can be given from the control apparatus side without making a business trip, it is necessary that the exact information is transmitted and received in a short time and at a low cost.
The present invention is attained in view of the foregoing problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a control system of an image processor by which a maintenance operation can be carried out according to the correct information.
In view of such the problems, another object of the present invention is to provide an image processor by which the content of the mechanical trouble in the image processor can be previously grasped and can cope with it at once.
Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a device control system by which the exact information can be transmitted and received in a short time at the low cost, and the maintenance operation can be conducted according to the exact information.
In order to solve the above problems and attain the object, the present invention is structured as follows.
1. A maintenance control system of an image processor having the following structure: the image processor; a communication section for transmitting and receiving the information between a control apparatus and the image processor; and an information obtaining means for obtaining the information to reproduce the condition of the image processor on the control apparatus side, wherein the information obtained by the information obtaining means is transmitted to the control apparatus through the communication section.
2. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein the information is one to reproduce the motion condition of the image processor, and the operation condition to the image processor on the control apparatus side.
3. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein the predetermined information is transmitted in parallel with the maintenance instruction of the control apparatus side.
4. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein the information obtaining means is a photographing means for photographing the operation condition and/or the motion condition of the image processor, and the image information photographed by the photographing means is transmitted to the control apparatus.
5. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein the information obtaining means is a sound recording means for recording the operation sound of the image processor, and the information of the operation sound recorded by the sound recording means is transmitted to the control apparatus.
6. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein the information obtaining means is a smell detection means for detecting the smell at a predetermined position of the image processor, and the smell information detected by the smell detection means is transmitted to the control apparatus.
7. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein the information obtaining means is a vibration detection means for detecting the vibration at a predetermined position of the image processor, and the vibration information detected by the vibration detection means is transmitted to the control apparatus.
8. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein a physical characteristic value change detection means for detecting the change of the physical characteristic value of any one of the heat, light, and pressure is provided, and the change information of the physical characteristic value detected by the physical characteristic value change detection means is transmitted to the control apparatus together with the time information.
9. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein the information obtained by the information obtaining means is transmitted to the control apparatus together with the time information.
10. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein the image processor is an image processor to process the photosensitive medium, and has an image capturing means for capturing the image in the image processor as the image obtaining means in the image processor.
11. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein the image processor is an image processor to process the photosensitive medium, and further has a light source to emit the wavelength outside the photosensitive area of the photosensitive medium, a locus detection means for detecting the locus of the light emission, and a processing means for comparing the locus of the light emission which is a reference when the image processor is normally operated, to the locus of the light emission detected by the locus detection means, and for judging it as abnormal in the case where the locus of the light emission as the reference and the locus of the detected light emission are different from each other, and for storing the judgment information, in the image processor.
12. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein the transmission side stores the transmission data transmitted at the last time, and the receiving side stores at least a portion of the received data received at the last time, and at the next transmission and reception time, the transmission is conducted based on a portion of the last time transmission data.
13. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein the transmission data is transmitted being attached with the data reference value.
14. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein, when transmission is conducted, the transmission side electronically stamps the time stamp on the transmission data.
15. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein, when the data is received, the receiving side electronically stamps the time stamp on the receiving data.
16. The maintenance control system according to the item 1, wherein, when the transmission data itself is the data having the time axis, this time receiving data is recognized when the data is stored including the data just before the last time transmission or receiving data, and this time transmission data or the stored just before receiving data is compared to the stored data.